WISDOM OF THE MOVING BODY

An online, experiential class in trauma-informed movement practices
for movement educators, psychotherapists, body workers and somatic practitioners

with
Paula Josa-Jones MA, CLMA, MSME/T, SEP, TTEAM
&
Amy Matthews MSME/T, CMA

Four Saturdays and Sundays
11-3pm ET
September 14 & 15
October 12 & 13
November 9 & 10
December 14 & 15

Cost:
ISMETA Members $800
Non-Members $1,100

This class will be offered through the
ISMETA Professional Development Center
Click on the link for details & registration!

This class series is an experiential, four-module course designed for movement educators and therapists, somatic practitioners, body workers and psychotherapists who wish to bring movement practices more fully into their work. Skills covered in this class will build confidence in participant's ability to integrate movement as a tool for both deepening embodiment and supporting trauma recovery by expanding their somatic movement understanding, vocabulary and practice. The course nourishes a vibrant, ongoing sense of our own embodiment and somatic awareness as practitioners - our ability to track our own systems as we are working with clients or students. How can we become more curious about the shifting tone of our inner witness? How do we sense ourselves in a moment-to-moment bodily way? Who is seeing? What are the selective preferences of our sensing? How can we slide our attention from witnessing to being witnessed without a ripple?
In learning to move from the body's innate rhythms and impulses, we open to deeper expressivity and vitality. Grounding ourselves in the moving body dissolves the separation between inner and outer experiencing and deepens connection to our own bodies and the world around us. Conscious movement, breath, touch, sound and imagery allow us to sense and feel ourselves and others with greater clarity and curiosity.
This course is experiential and interactive, offering an opportunity to dive into our questions in a playful, open-hearted way. Albert Einstein says that play is the highest form of research! How can we find more playfulness in our bodies? In our minds?

Some of the modalities included in this class include:

  • Fundamentals of Laban Movement Analysis
  • The practice of Authentic Movement
  • Deep Listening strategies of composer Pauline Oliveros
  • Perspectives of Body-Mind Centering (guest presenter)
  • Perspectives drawn from Somatic Experiencing®
  • An introduction to Stephen Porges's Polyvagal theory
  • Titration and the basics of the threat response cycle
  • The anatomy of trauma
  • Touch skills drawn from both Tellington TTouch and from Kathy Kain's Touch Skills
  • Improvisational strategies drawn from my experience as a movement educator, choreographer and performer.

    Participants will learn to:

  • Build skill and confidence in your ability to integrate movement into your therapeutic or teaching practice.
  • Understand the basics of the anatomy of trauma and Somatic Experiencing®
  • Explore questions of dominance in relationship to our own bodies and the bodies of others, including other species.
  • Understand how movement awareness can enhance your observational and relational skills, including attunement and co-regulation.
  • Learn how to bring both improvisational and intentional somatic movement perspectives and insights to your practice.
  • Understand the fundamentals of Laban Movement Analysis, Body-Mind Centering and other somatic movement practices, and how they can expand movement expression and experiencing for ourselves and our students or clients.

    The course includes 32 hours of online class meetings, and a downloadable richly visual manual of skill-based practices, somatic meditations and practical information.


    Paula Josa-Jones brings her experience in dance, somatic movement studies and improvisation and performance to her work, weaving her knowledge of Laban Movement Analysis, somatic and embodiment practices, Authentic Movement and Somatic Experiencing®, as well as over 25 years of embodied work with horses as partners and collaborators. She says, "At the core of my teaching is a passion for movement that springs from an unpredictable, limitless aliveness in the body. Being in the body means experiencing it in a bloodful, breathing way that is transformative and improvisational - diving into the deep waters of the body and all its wild possibility." www.paulajosajones.org

    Amy Matthews has been teaching movement workshops and courses in the US and internationally since 1994. Integrating experiential anatomy, kinesiology, embryology and developmental movement with inquiries into pedagogy, educational philosophy and movement practices, she has taught on somatic certification programs and in a variety of university and studio settings. Amy is a Body-Mind Centering® Teacher, an Infant Developmental Movement Educator, and a Certified Movement Analyst. She co-founded Babies Project with Sarah Barnaby, and co-authored the book Yoga Anatomy. She is currently based in Maine. www.embodied asana.com

    This class will be offered through the
    ISMETA Professional Development Center
    Click on the link for details & registration!